This past June we decided to go on a trip. At first, we weren't sure if it would be worth it because of work and time. We decided to go because we probably wouldn't have another chance to go on a trip for a while. We also couldn't decide where to go, because of money and time. We kept thinking of Oregon and weren't sure. The more we talked about it though the more we wanted to go! We could drive there easily and it's one of our favorite places to go when we have gone in the past. It was one of our favorite trips and we have been on some fun trips;). We are so glad we went. Matt had an internship last Spring while working, school and such so this was much needed and we didn't regret it! This is us early in the morning ready to leave. Don't mind my glossy creepy eyes:). This is when I started to have some health problems so don't mind my sick looking face in some pics:).
My dad said this was amazing in Idaho and that the burgers were humongous! They were on the Food Network Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives I believe. So we stopped to eat.....and we didn't think it was that good, but it was fun!
Matt is measuring how big the burger was...which was pretty big!
Emilee Caldwell.....so weird to say my old last name! Maybe family is from here? Idk, it was just a fun picture to take:).
The first day we drove straight to the coast. It was a long drive.....especially because we drove in Idaho. That place is awful to drive through! SO I fell asleep while Matt drove. Then I woke up the prettiest drive in Oregon, I guess it was the scenic route. Nobody was on the roads at that time, so Matt and I talked for a while. Probably one of my most favorite memories is talking in the car as we drove through gorgeous green trees, lava rock, and it was misty as well. Then we started to drive by creepy old cabins. Then Matt starting telling me creepy stories of movies he had seen on how people die in a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere. It creeped us out while driving in the middle of nowhere with all these creepy cabins.
We also saw people picking blackberries, we didn't stop because of time but now I regret it because that was the only place we saw some! we saw Christmas Tree farms as well.
The second day we went to Heceta Lighthouse. I was so excited to see an old historic inn sitting on the rocks and the lighthouse, but it was under reconstruction so we didn't get to get in them, but we did hike up to them. We also saw lots and lots of bums on the beach and hitchhikers...so that was fun....turns out they were really nice!!!
The old historic bridge right on the beach by the lighthouse. I LOVE that there are so many bridges in Oregon. They are all really old as well. I guess a while a go the terrain here was very hard to get through because of all the trees, so the lighthouse community was very hidden here. All the explorers also had a hard to time getting through. Did you know the Japanese attacked this shore during WW2 as well?
Cool looking tree on our little hike. We met another young couple hiking who didn't know that the lighthouse was closed as well, so we hiked for a little bit and made some cool friends!
View on our hike, I love how private the beach was and nobody was there!
Where the lighthouse people lived! you can stay there but it's mula money!!
Can you see my umbrella getting bent ha ha!
We are getting to the lighthouse!! It was smaller than I thought.
Darn reconstruction and remodel! It was still cool though! It is connected to the schoolhouse where the lighthouse children went to school.
Ok my umbrella is like a square now. That wind was strong!
Now let's explore the beach! creepy caves!
I was starting to go in one, then backed away because it was too creepy.
Tons of muscles!
These little urchins would close up when you touch them. It was gross and creepy! Don't mind my voice on the video:).
What Cool Sea Life to explore!
Afterward we headed to the seas lion caves. I have been there before, but I wanted to show Matt. It is something everyone needs to see when they come.
The first explorer to find the cave found a skeleton of a sea lion.
Ok so you see that big sea lion on top of the rock?? Ya we have a funny story to go with him and ask us about the tour guide if you want to hear the story. I guess this sea lion made a breakthrough in sea lion research and history. ha ha oh boy.
The light house!
You can see old wood from back in the 40's and 50's when they built a wood stair down the rocks for tourists or something like that. Later on they put an elevator down to the sea lions.
Insect eating flowers/plants!! Creepy huh?
(Above) At the eating flower garden
(below) Eating at Moe's. We had the best fish taco's there! After we came home from our trip we made fish taco's because we were craving seafood.They were amazing if you want the recipe:).
Matt and his family did Jerry's Rogue River Jets back when they came to Oregon. So we just had to do it. I kept hearing how fun it was. Tickets are $90.00 per person, but we got our tickets on Ebay for $10.00!!!! I would pay $90.00 again when we come back though. It was so worth it. They take you on one of these boats, go through river rapids, and sight see. You see wildlife have lunch and head up a canyon where not a lot of people get to go because it is private. The River Wild was filmed on the Rogue River. They had to take Meryl Streep personally up the river to film every day, because that's the only way up there.
Waiting to get on the boat, I guess the flood level came up that high in 1966.
Playing with the cute dog while we waited
I was cold....
Another amazing bridge
There were like a million birds up in there EW!
First sighting A Bald Eagle!!
You can go on fishing tours and fish for Salmon. We stopped to see what they caught. LOOK at that fish!! Matt's family went on a fishing trip when they came and went in the ocean and caught a bunch of fish. When we come back I want to go fishing. (we like to fish so this was so fun!)
The boat held about 30 people
So I spotted this deer for everyone! I was so close to this deer I could reach out and touch the rock.
Oh look like 8 vultures! They guarantee you WILL see tons of wildlife.
There were tons of waterfalls.
oh look a bald eagle, actually I think it's a golden eagle!
This is what the river looked like. Tall mountains on each side.
Really ugly raincoats. They HIGHLY recommended to wear their raincoats. YOU get SO wet! We are about to find out.
Gorgeous
Yep that's how wet you got. They give you blankets to keep warm, but I was pretty much wet head to toe. They flip the boat around in 360 degrees. It was so fun and the get you wet and the rapids also get you wet.
Someone's cabin, they say cabin's here are very very expensive. This tree looks the a dinosaur
This is a bridge they built with a big rope swing you can use, along with a waterfall slide. Cool!!
This is where we saw two bears along with these deer. There was a baby bear and a bigger bear.
The rapids
We saw some Geese with their babies So Cute!!
Indian rhubarb. The Indians would use this to cook with. They said a lot of indians would live in the cliffs. Pioneers started to settle on the cliffs because of the gold rush and it was cheap to live on a cliff. The would have wars and the indians eventually died off. Sad.
The river can get so high that it pushed this hugh tree up on a rock.
There were so many river otters!
You can see him in the water. We were so close!!
He's rolling around in the dirt how cute!
This is my absolute favorite picture. So The Rogue river empties into the ocean, so you will never see ocean life this far up the river. Yes, this is a little sea otter, in a river??? just sitting on a rock crazy.
Another river otter
in the river
um yep this is how close we were
Afterward, we were a little tired because it left 8:00 in the morning got back around 4:00. We stopped for lunch at a small cabin in a town called Agnus. A family owns a small restuarant that serves just our group for lunch. They wait for us all day and you kind of feel forced to buy lunch there (I think that's why they stop there to support the owners). They were an old couple and were so sweet. It was way old and you wouldn't think the food would be good. I have the best frisco burger, fries and the best homemade blackberry pie I have ever had! we stopped there once before to have hot chocolate as well. yummy!
Afterward we headed to the beach. We found so many sand dollars we brought back our neices and nephews. So fun! Having rain boots is so fun in the ocean to! The water came up so high! Matt kept telling me to go farther and farther that I almost fell in!
Aren't these the cutest seagull foot prints?
I can't find a way to move this video to the side. Until I figure it out, I was doing a ocean dance on the log there and Matt wanted me to do it for the camera. We then headed to our Hotel in Brookings. Matt's family loves Brookings.They gave us free breakfast in the restaurant along with the room. It was way good. We also watched The Rive Wild that night, being actually on the Rogue river where it was filmed. Man that movie is creepy and creepier because we were just at the location.
The next week we went to the Redwoods!
This is Matt our tour guide. We totally made friends with him. Afterward we asked him lots of questions and Then I said to Matt (my husband) "Do you want to go by the river?" The tour guide thought I was talking to him so he said "ya!" So he followed us to the river and we hung out for a while. Funny huh? He actually told us about a whale and it's baby who swam up the river because it was dying and the whale wanted the baby to be safe. This never happens when ocean life come up the mountains. He said it was by a bridge and it was all over the news and people made t-shirts saying "I saw the whale". Ha ha funny.
There was a fire here, these trees are so strong that they out lasted the fire, they are so old that to help the burned part it just grows around it to heal.
biggest tree there!
We then did a 5 or 6 mile hike....to a waterfall. It was so far, we almost didn't make it to the waterfall.
Matt you are so strong!!
We finally made it to the waterfall!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's roots!!
More of those banana slugs. There were also yellow leaves, so you didn't know where you were stepping!! Do you know where the yellow slugs are in this picture? (above)
Cute little stream!
Ew!
Um that's creepy! We did another short hike, then we couldn't get by.....darn tree!!
We then headed to Carson City for a place called The Chart Room. We hadn't had fish and chips yet so we decided to have some....we weren't disappointed! Then there were these cute seals that just sit all day! We could get so close to them! They are so funny! When I am rich I want to own one or a couple of them.
Ha Ha he has a mohawk!
It looks like they are posing!
The next day we headed home and on our way we went to Newberry Volcanic park. Who knew there were tons of volcanos in the middle of Oregon? It;s be Crater Lake. This was one of the smallest volcanos and it points like a cone.You can drive all the way to the top.
Inside the volcano
Watch tower
you can see how far the lava spread all around the volcano.
Three sister mountains
Wow it went so far!!
Why hello!
We went to the visitors center which was really neat. We also ate lunch right by the lava rocks, so Cool!! We tried to pack up as much food so we wouldn't eat out as much and save money.
It was so fun and can't wait to take our whole family there. This is one of our favorite places. The people were a little weird...like pumping gas for us at a gas station??? who does that. we felt so weird just sitting in our car while they did it. Also it is very organic there so all of their hotel shampoos and soaps were all organic, which is cool they try to keep it green up there. We checked the Law school up there in Eugene, we aren't sure if we would go there. A little secluded, but still so pretty. I love the little towns as we would drive by. We also got some crab to take home which we didn't regret either:). Happy traveling!!
